sciatic nerve injury
Last reviewed 01/2018
The sciatic nerve may be injured by the initial trauma or during subsequent surgery.
The prognosis for patients with a damaged nerve is uncertain, however 6 weeks of observation should be allowed to wait for signs of improvement.
Failure to improve is an indication for surgical exploration to make a diagnosis and to ensure that the nerve is not being compressed.
The chances of intraoperative sciatic nerve damage may be reduced by somatosensory evoked potential monitoring.